West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission signs MoU with Flipkart to
support the inclusion and growth of Women Self Help groups

The partnership under the Samarth initiative aims to enable national market access for women self-help groups from the state of West Bengal

West Bengal – December 23, 2022: Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, as part of its continuing efforts under the Samarth program, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission (WBSRLM) – Department of Panchayat & Rural Development, Government of West Bengal. The partnership aims to empower womenself-help groups(SHGs), artisans, and weavers in the state with sustainable economic growth by enabling national market access. Flipkart Samarth and WBSRLM will encourage entrepreneurship among SHGs, facilitate  their onboarding on to the Flipkart marketplace, and handhold them as they develop the capabilities to leverage the digital medium for new business and trade inclusion opportunities.

Under the Samarth program, the SHGs will have access to time-bound incubation support and several other benefits from Flipkart as they grow their businesses with the help of the e-commerce platform. At present, WBSRLM has over 10 lakh women SHGs, making West Bengal, the state with the largest number of SHGs in India.

The MoU was signed today at the inaugural ceremony of Saras Mela – a large-scale exhibition and sellers-buyers meet organized by the Government of West Bengal – at New Town Mela Ground. Honourable Minister- in -Charge, Panchayats and Rural Development, Shri. Pradip Kumar Mazumdar and Shri Vibhu Goel, IAS and SMD and CEO of West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission among others graced this ceremony today. This partnership has been aided by the consistent guidance received from Dr. P. Ulaganathan, IAS and Secretary Panchayats & Rural Development Department & Self–Help Group and Self Employment Department.

Mr. Vibhu Goel, IAS and SMD and CEO of West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission, said, “The continued growth of e-commerce is accelerating the emergence of a digital Bharat, where women-led MSMES, and female sellers, artisans, and SHGs are empowered to change their lives and livelihoods for the better. Through our partnership with Flipkart, we will create a robust, tech-enabled ecosystem for them that will support their entrepreneurial aspirations.”

Mr. Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group, said,“Flipkart remains committed to enabling inclusive growth for indigenous businesses, artisans, sellers, and women who wish to become successful entrepreneurs through e-commerce. Our partnership with West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission (WBSRLM) under the Samarth program will empower Women Self Help groups, weavers, and artisans with sustainable growth opportunities and contribute to the government’s developmental efforts in the state.”

Flipkart Samarth

Flipkart Samarth has grown its seller entities base by 300% over the last year and has also helped entities businesses grow by 300%. This was brought about by securing multiple strategic engagements with the State and Central ministries, departments and entities across India. With this growth and inclusion of entities, Flipkart Samarth is positively impacting 1.5 million livelihoods across the country today.

Flipkart Samarth, launched in 2019, is a nationwide initiative that aims to open new growth opportunities for lakhs of MSMEs, artisans, and underserved communities through e-commerce. The program’s primary objective is to provide underserved domestic communities and enterprises with an inclusive, nationwide digital platform and help them develop the capabilities for making a better living. Flipkart Samarth provides time-limited incubation, onboarding support, free cataloging, marketing support, account administration, business insights, and warehousing support to help small enterprises establish their operations on the Flipkart marketplace.